News

Faith-based taxation

Trickle-down is triumphant
It's gospel under the State House dome — dogma in what could be called the trickle-down religion — that if taxes on the rich and the corporations were reduced, lots of moneyed people would make their residence in Maine instead of places like Florida, contributing massively to tax collections; and lots of businesses would move to Maine or start up here, hiring workers right and left.

By: LANCE TAPLEY | May 23, 2013

Give me an F

Politics + Other Mistakes
I was educated in Maine public schools. Here's what I learned:

By: AL DIAMON | May 23, 2013

Obama missed mark at Bowie

Diverse City
When Michelle Obama delivered a commencement address to the class of 2013 at historically black college Bowie State University, something went awry.

By: SHAY STEWART-BOULEY | May 23, 2013

Pingree crusades against military sexual assault

Not In Our Name
Amid a seeming epidemic of military sexual assault — the Pentagon estimates that such incidents have increased 35 percent over the past two years, while at least two military officials assigned to sexual assault prevention units have themselves been charged with inappropriate sexual conduct — Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from Maine, is pushing President Barack Obama to "take further action to confront this crisis."

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | May 23, 2013

Congress Square's controversial facelift

Urban Development
The fate of Congress Square Plaza, the hardscaped half-acre on the corner of Congress and High streets, is back on the table, with city officials and downtown stakeholders weighing a new proposal from the hotel developer that wants to buy and build on it.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | May 23, 2013

Maine Women’s Fund awardees are building a new world

Change-makers in our midst
On the surface, they have little in common: An unassuming entrepreneur in her late 50s, an accomplished 38-year-old photojournalist, and a trio of energetic teenagers. But these women do exhibit several shared traits. They are plucky and passionate, clever and unpretentious. They are Mainers. And all five will be honored next Thursday, May 23, at the Maine Women's Fund's annual Leadership Luncheon, which honors those who are making life better for women and girls in this state and beyond.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | May 16, 2013

Watch your backs, useless people

Poll numbers
Poll numbers

By: JEFF INGLIS | May 16, 2013

Immigration by the numbers

One Cent's Worth
After many false starts, a convergence of public sentiment and political will has sped the country to the brink of comprehensive immigration reform. In purely economic terms, it's a no-brainer — one of those rare instances where a moral imperative neatly aligns with our national self-interest.

By: MARC MEWSHAW | May 16, 2013

Change for the better

Politics + other mistakes
The trouble with tax reform is that almost everybody not named Warren Buffett believes it should result in their personal tax bill going down.

By: AL DIAMON | May 16, 2013

Union comments

Letters
The State Theatre and a CWA member respond to recent coverage of unions.

By: LETTERS TO THE PORTLAND EDITOR | May 16, 2013

Union battles continue

Organized labor
An update on the state employees' union's dispute with the governor, plus union organizers' plans for medical-marijuana workers.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | May 16, 2013

Laptop program change sets schools back 10 years

Learning works
The webinar started with a five-minute effort to ensure the screen-and-audio sharing technology was actually working, punctuated by uncertainty about which representatives of which companies would be making remarks. Not an auspicious start.

By: JEFF INGLIS | May 09, 2013

Maine’s environmental movement reinvents itself for a new era of challenges

Blooming Activists
Maine's cherished environment may be threatened as never before by the gargantuan forces of economic globalization. In reaction, the state's environmental movement is coalescing into a force stronger than ever. There are new players in the game — including Occupy — augmenting the old guard

By: LANCE TAPLEY | May 10, 2013

I don't know where I stand

Politics + other mistakes
When it comes to sex, there's something ambivalent about Michael Michaud. No, not that. I mean Michaud's position on abortion.

By: AL DIAMON | May 09, 2013

Let it grow

Going green
In addition to its ecological value, the abundant marine resource is also worth money — millions of pounds of rockweed are harvested every year.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | May 09, 2013

Legislature wades through hundreds of proposals

From silly to serious
Want to know what your elected officials are mulling over? Here is a subjective selection of bills that piqued our interest.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | May 09, 2013

Laborers may have a bright future

Unions in Maine
Even as the organized-labor movement continues to falter on the national level, union leaders here in Maine are optimistic about a potential resurgence — or if not that, at least a stanching of the bleeding and an opportunity to prove that pro-union policies are best for local workers and communities.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | May 03, 2013